Reactor pump for catalyzed hydrolytic splitting of cellulose

ABSTRACT

The reactor pump for hydrolytic splitting of cellulose is configured to pump cellulose, under high pressure, with low availability of sugar into a reactor. The reactor has an upstream transition segment connected to a downstream reaction chamber. The transition segment has an inlet that is smaller than the outlet. The inner walls taper outward. The chamber has an inlet that is larger than the discharge outlet. The inner walls taper inward. The transition segment outlet has an area that is substantially the same as the area of the chamber inlet. Back pressure in the chamber forms a cellulose plug within the inlet of the transition segment. The plug stops cellulose from escaping out the inlet. High pressure pumping forms a cellulose plug within the discharge outlet of the chamber. The plug slows downstream movement of the cooking cellulose giving the cellulose time to cook. Cooking cellulose begins to breakdown under heat and the injection of acid, if required. The outer surface of the plug is cooked faster than the inner core and in the process the faster cooking portion of the plug becomes a liquefied slurry. The slurry lies between the inwardly tapering chamber walls and the less cooked inner core. The slurry slides faster towards the discharge outlet than does the inner core. As the slurry moves downstream in the chamber, the surface of the inner core moves to the walls and in turn is liquefied. Cellulose may be pre-treated prior to entry in the reactor by the addition of water and a weak acid such as sulfuric or ammonium. The cellulose may be granulated to provide more surface area to assist break down in the reactor.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/942,380 filed Jun. 6, 2007 and U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 60/856,596 filed Nov. 3, 2006 and herebyincorporates the foregoing U.S. Provisional Patent Applications by thisreference.

FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY

The field of the technology relates to a reactor pump for catalyzedhydrolytic splitting of cellulose.

BACKGROUND

Ethanol is an important fuel. In general, ethanol can be produced fromcellulose in a two step process, sometimes referred to as biomassconversion. The first step hydrolyzes cellulose to sugar. The sugar isthen fermented in the second step to form ethanol. The method andapparatus of this specification relates to the first step—the hydrolysisof cellulose. More specifically, the method and apparatus relates tosplitting the outer husk of cellulose material. The split, outer husk isthen further refined in successive stages, whereby the combination ofstages converts the cellulose to sugar.

The fermentation of the sugar to ethanol is well understood. Hydrolysisof the cellulose is, however, the Achilles heel in the process of makingethanol. To achieve overall profitability from ethanol production theratio of the energy content of the ethanol to the energy used forproducing the ethanol must be high. Many approaches have been used toaccomplish this level of efficient production of ethanol. However, theproduction of ethanol continues to be highly subsidized indicating thatit has not yet achieved a high level of profitability. There are manyfactors contributing to this. One factor is the use of high value, highcost feedstock such as corn, which has high level of available sugar.Another is the cost of transportation of the feedstock to an ethanolproduction plant that is remote from the feedstock production site.

Corn and other high value sources of cellulose are used due to thedifficulty of converting other sources of cellulose such as wood, woodchips, saw dust, lumber, newspaper, cardboard, sugar cane, and groundstraw into sugar. The other sources of cellulose have a relatively lowlevel of available sugar. These sources contain not only cellulose, butalso lignin and hemi-cellulose which must be separated from thecellulose before sugar is available for fermentation. The method andapparatus disclosed in this specification efficiently carries out thefirst task of splitting the raw cellulose so further refining insubsequent stages results in a high sugar yield at a low energy costwith greater profitability than the methods and apparatus availabletoday.

Transportation of the raw cellulose bearing material from itsgeographical source to the location of an ethanol production plant iscostly. The ethanol production process could be made more profitable ifthe production of sugar from cellulose was located at the source of thecellulose. Cellulose could be granulated and converted on site to sugar.The unwanted by-products from conversion, which may represent up to 50%of the weight of the unprocessed cellulose, could also be disposed of onsite. The cost of shipping to a distant ethanol production plant forfermentation to ethanol would thereby be significantly reduced.

Alternatively, the entire ethanol plant could be sited at a large, longterm source of cellulose and the resultant ethanol piped to users.

But regardless of what approach is taken, the reactor pump efficientlycarries out its task of splitting the cellulose husks. And it iscompact, scalable, and meets the needs of the conventional ethanol plantor a plant located at the source of the cellulose.

SUMMARY

The reactor pump 1 is an integrated combination of a reactor 7 and apump 5. It is a first stage reactor in a multi-stage process ofconverting cellulose to sugar for fermentation into ethanol. Severalembodiments of the reactor pump 1 are described in this specification.Each of the embodiments use pressure and heat to hydrolyze biomass in areactor. Acid may also be used in the process of breaking down thecellulose to a liquefied slurry. In limited cases water may beintroduced into the reaction chamber 7 a.

Steam and heat have long been used as the energy to accelerate the breakdown of organic matter in a vessel, such as a pressure cooker.Typically, the organic matter is cellulose in foodstuff. The foodstuffis mixed with water in a vessel, the vessel is tightly closed, and theclosed vessel is subjected to a source of heat energy. To some extentthe heat energy alone causes the cellulose to break down into a lesssolid mass. If enough heat is delivered to the cooking cellulose, thewater in the pressure cooker changes phase, turns to steam, and thepressure rises. As a result, the high pressure accelerates the breakdown of the cellulose. However, the energy delivered to the pressurecooker comes from a single source.

The reactor pump 1 on the other hand, delivers energy from two sources.The first source comes from outside the surface of the reactor 7. Theheat energy on the outside surface of the reactor is indirectlytransferred into the reaction chamber 7 a in a manner similar to thepressure cooker. However, the second source is produced by the constanthigh compression forcing the feedstock 15 into the inlet 7 b of a coneshaped reaction chamber 7 a. The constant high compression force aloneproduces heat in the reaction chamber 7 a.

The inlet 7 b of the reaction chamber 7 a is an opening with arelatively large area as compared to its smaller discharge outlet 7 c.The cone shaped reaction chamber 7 a is heated to a temperature thatcauses the cellulose feedstock 15 on the outside of the compressedfeedstock—a plug 27—to breakdown into a downstream flowing liquefiedmass. The liquefied portion of the feedstock plug 27 moves downstreambetween the interior wall of the reaction chamber 7 a and the more solidplug 27. It does so at a faster rate than the solid portion of the plug27. As the liquefied mass moves downstream near the discharge valve 7 cthere is a drop in pressure as compared to the pressure upstream in thereaction chamber 7 a. The liquefied feedstock exits the reaction chamber7 a through the discharge valve 7 c, the solid plug 27 continues to becompressed against the cone shaped chamber 7 a, and the outer surface ofthe plug 27 continues to liquefy.

An embodiment of the reactor pump 1 for catalyzed hydrolytic splittingof cellulose, is comprised:

(a) a pump 5 comprised of (i) a pumping chamber 5 a having a feedstockopening 5 e for receiving feedstock 15; (ii) a cylinder 13 configured toextend from an upstream opening 5 c to a downstream end 5 d of thepumping chamber 5 a; (iii) the extending cylinder 13 configured tocompress the feedstock 15 in the pumping chamber 5 a against compressedfeedstock 15 in a reactor 7; (iv) the cylinder 13, upon reaching thedownstream end 5 d, configured to retract from the downstream end 5 d tothe upstream opening 5 c; and (v) the cylinder 13 configured tocyclically continue its extension and retraction;

(b) a reactor 7 comprised of a transition segment 25 and a reactionchamber 7 a, (i) the transition segment 25 located between thedownstream end 5 d of the pumping chamber 5 a and the inlet 7 b of areaction chamber 7 a; (ii) the transition segment 25 having an inlet 25a smaller than the outlet 25 b; (iii) the reaction chamber 7 a having aninlet 7 b substantially the same size as the outlet 25 b of thetransition segment 25 and a discharge outlet 7 c smaller than the inlet7 b of the reaction chamber 7 a; (iv) the reactor 7 having a means forheating the compressed feedstock 15 in the reaction chamber 7 a; and

(c) whereby the compressed feedstock 15 in the transition segment 25 andthe reaction chamber 7 a forms a feedstock plug 27, the feedstock plug27 cooks as the plug 27 moves downstream under pumping pressure of thepump 5 a, and the cooked portion of the plug 27 exits the dischargeoutlet 7 c as a liquefied slurry.

Another embodiment of the reactor pump 1 for catalyzed hydrolyticsplitting of cellulose, comprises:

(a) a pump 5 comprised of (i) a pumping chamber 5 a having a feedstockopening 5 e for receiving feedstock 15; (ii) a gate 6 upstream from thedownstream end 5 d of the pumping chamber 5 a, the gate 6 configured tocyclically open and close; (iii) a cylinder 13 configured to cyclicallyextend and retract from an upstream opening 5 c of the pumping chamber 5a to the downstream end 5 d of the pumping chamber 5 a; (iv) thecylinder 13 configured to compress feedstock 15 in the pumping chamber 5a against the closed gate 6; (v) the gate 6 configured to open upon theoccurrence of an event, the event selected from the group consisting ofa pre-set level of pressure on the closed gate 6, a pre-set position ofthe extending cylinder 13 within the pumping chamber 5 a, expiration ofa pre-set period of time, or any combination of the foregoing; (vi) thecylinder 13 configured to compress the feedstock 15 against compressedfeedstock 15 in a transition segment 25 and the reaction chamber 7 a;(vii) the cylinder 13 configured to retract when the gate 6 closes;

(b) a reactor 7 comprised of a transition segment 25 and a reactionchamber 7 a, (i) the transition segment 25, located between thedownstream end 5 d of the pumping chamber 5 a and the inlet 7 b of areaction chamber 7 a; (ii) the transition segment 25 having an inlet 25a smaller than the outlet 25 b; (iii) the reaction chamber 7 a having aninlet 7 b substantially the same size as the outlet 25 b of thetransition segment 25 and a discharge outlet 7 c smaller than the inlet7 b of the reaction chamber 7 a; (iv) the reactor 7 having a means forheating the compressed feedstock 15 in the reaction chamber 7 a;

(c) whereby the compressed feedstock 15 in the transition segment 25 andthe reaction chamber 7 a forms a feedstock plug 27, the feedstock plug27 cooks as the plug 27 moves downstream under pumping pressure of thepump 5 a, and the cooked portion of the plug 27 exits the dischargeoutlet 7 c as a liquefied slurry.

The interior of the reactor 7 is comprised of one or more segmentsselected from the group consisting of a straight segment 7 j, inwardlytapered segment 7 k, outwardly tapered segment 7 o, convex segment 7 l,U-elbow segment 7 m, concave segment 7 q, exit plug segment 7 p,connector segment 7 r, or any combination of the foregoing segments.

A charging chamber 2 that opens into the feedstock opening 5 e. Thefeedstock 15 is comprised of (a) cellulose material selected from thegroup consisting of wood, logs, wood chips, lumber, newspaper,cardboard, corn fiber, corn cob, sugar cane, straw, switch grass, or anycombination thereof; (b) water; and (c) acid. The acid is selected fromthe group consisting of sulfuric, hydrochloric, ammonium, or anycombination of the foregoing.

The reactor pump has an adjustable pressure relief valve 10 on thereaction chamber discharge outlet 7 c for automatic discharge of cookedfeedstock when a pre-set pressure level within the reaction chamber 7 ais reached and it has a throttle valve 9 for changing the cook time 16of the feedstock 15. There is also a means for injecting steam and acidinto the reaction chamber 7 a. The reactor pump is configured forcontinuous discharge of a liquefied slurry of conversion product.

An embodiment of the reactor pump 1 for catalyzed hydrolytic splittingof cellulose is comprised of:

(a) a means for high pressure pumping of feedstock 15 into a reactor 7;

(b) a reactor 7 comprised of a transition segment 25 and a reactionchamber 7 a, (i) the transition segment 25, located between thedownstream end 5 d of the pumping chamber 5 a and the inlet 7 b of areaction chamber 7 a; (ii) the transition segment 25 having an inlet 25a smaller than the outlet 25 b; (iii) the reaction chamber 7 a having aninlet 7 b substantially the same size as the outlet 25 b of thetransition segment 25 and a discharge outlet 7 c smaller than the inlet7 b of the reaction chamber 7 a; (iv) the reactor 7 having a means forheating the compressed feedstock 15 in the reaction chamber 7 a;

(c) whereby the compressed feedstock 15 in the transition segment 25 andthe reaction chamber 7 a forms a feedstock plug 27, the feedstock plug27 cooks as the plug 27 moves downstream under pumping pressure of thepump 5 a, and the cooked portion of the plug 27 exits the dischargeoutlet 7 c as a liquefied slurry.

An embodiment of a catalyzed hydrolytic process for splitting cellulose,comprises the steps of: (a) pumping 5 feedstock 15 against compressedfeedstock 15 in a reactor 7 to form a feedstock plug 27 movingdownstream from an inlet 25 a to a discharge outlet 7 c of the reactor7; (c) subjecting the feedstock plug 27 to a constellation of physicalthings selected from the group consisting of pressure, heat, steam,water, acid, or any combination thereof, (d) cooking the plug 27 withinthe reactor 7; (e) opening the discharge outlet 7 c to rapidly reducethe pressure in the reaction chamber 7 a upon the occurrence of anevent, the event selected from the group consisting of reaching apre-set pressure level in the reaction chamber 7 a, expiration of apre-set period of time, or any combination of the foregoing; and (f)whereby the outer surface of the cellulose is broken down to a liquefiedslurry of cooked feedstock.

The process also includes the steps of (i) comparing the downstreampressure on the upstream end of the feedstock plug 27 and the backpressure in the reaction chamber 7 b and (ii) equalizing them if theyare not equal. The process furthermore includes the steps of subjecting(i) the feedstock 15 to a pressure of up to about 2000 psi and (ii) thereaction chamber 7 a to a temperature of up to about 1000° Fahrenheit.

Preparation of the feedstock 15 is comprised of the steps of: (i)grinding the cellulose; (ii) the cellulose selected from the groupconsisting of wood, logs, wood chips, lumber, newspaper, cardboard, cornfiber, corn cob, sugar cane, straw, switch grass, or any combinationthereof, (iii) mixing acid with water to form an aqueous solution ofacid; (iv) the acid selected from the group consisting of sulfuric,hydrochloric, ammonium, or any combination thereof, (v) mixing thecellulose and the aqueous solution of acid to form the feedstock 15; and(vi) granulating the formed feedstock 15. The feedstock 15 is mixed atabout 20% to about 50% by weight of granular cellulose with about 78% toabout 48% by weight of water, and about 2% by weight of acid. Acid mayalso be introduced to the compressed feedstock 15 in the reactor 7.

A plug 27 of compressed feedstock 15 is formed by the steps of: (i)using high pressure to ram the feedstock 15 into a reactor 7, thereactor having an inlet 25 a and a discharge outlet 7 c that are smallrelative to the interior of the reactor 7 and (ii) holding thecompressed feedstock 15 in the reactor 7 for a pre-set period of cooktime 16 to allow conversion of the feedstock 15 to a liquefied slurry.Cooking the feedstock plug 27 comprises the steps of heating the cookingfeedstock plug 27 by the means selected from the group consisting ofinjecting steam directly into the reactor 7, heating the outer surfaceof the reactor 7 to indirectly heat the cooking feedstock plug 27,flowing a heated substrate through a jacket 29 d surrounding the outersurface of the reactor 7, or any combination of the foregoing.

Compressing the feedstock 15 may be accomplished by the steps of (i)extending a cylinder 13 against feedstock 15 in a pumping chamber 5 a tocompress the feedstock 15 against a closed gate 6; (ii) opening the gate6 upon the occurrence of an event selected from the group consisting ofexpiration of a pre-set time period, reaching a pre-set level ofpressure on the upstream face of the gate 6, and extension of thecylinder to a pre-set position; (iii) retracting the cylinder 13 afterthe occurrence of a selected event; and (iv) continuing the cycle ofextension and retraction of the cylinder 13.

An embodiment of a reactor pump 1 for catalyzed hydrolytic splitting ofcellulose is comprised of a pump 5 and a reactor 7. The pump 5 and thereactor 7 can be configured as an integral single reactor pump unit. Orin the alternative, the pump 5 can be a stand-alone unit and the reactor7 can be a separate stand-alone unit. Nevertheless, the pump 5 and thereactor 7 are each highly unique and they work together like a hand in aglove.

Both the pump 5 and the reactor 7 are configured to meet theirspecialized functions. The pump 5 is configured to supply very highlycompressed feedstock 15 into the reaction chamber 7 a. It accomplishesits task by pumping a nearly continuous supply of the very highlycompressed feedstock 15 into the reaction chamber 7 a using a highpressure ram 4. The pressure can range up to about 2000 psi. Thereaction chamber 7 a is configured to cook the feedstock 15 at atemperature up to about 1000° Fahrenheit, inject steam and/or acid intothe reaction chamber 7 a when necessary, provide heat from a sourceoutside the reaction chamber 7 a, and provide heat from the ram 4pressure. The cooking process tears the outer husk of the feedstock 15apart and thereby converts the feedstock 15 to liquefied slurry, whichis further converted in subsequent stages to form ethanol.

The elements of the pump 5 a are: (i) a pumping chamber 5 a having afeedstock opening 5 e for receiving feedstock 15; (ii) a gate 6 upstreamfrom the downstream end of the pumping chamber 5 a, the gate 6configured to cyclically open and close; (iii) a cylinder 13 configuredto cyclically extend and retract from an upstream opening 5 c of thepumping chamber 5 a to the downstream end 5 d of the pumping chamber 5a; (iv) the cylinder 13 configured to compress feedstock 15 in thepumping chamber 5 a against the closed gate 6; (v) the gate 6 configuredto open upon the occurrence of an event, the event selected from thegroup consisting of a pre-set level of pressure on the closed gate 6, apre-set position of the extending cylinder 13 within the pumping chamber5 a, expiration of a pre-set period of time, or any combination of theforegoing; (vi) the cylinder 13 configured to continue its extensionbeyond the open gate 6 to the downstream end 5 d (located at the inlet25 a of the transition segment 25) of the pumping chamber 5 a and tocompress the feedstock 15 against compressed feedstock 15 already in atransition segment 25; (vii) the cylinder 13 configured to retract whenit reaches the downstream end 5 d of the pumping chamber 5 a; (viii) thegate 6 configured to close when the main hydraulic cylinder 13 retractsjust past the open gate 6; and (ix) the cylinder 13 configured tocontinue its retraction to the end of its travel.

Another embodiment is comprised of a reactor 7 having: (i) a transitionsegment 25, located between the downstream end 5 d of the pumpingchamber 5 a and the inlet 7 b of a reaction chamber 7 a of the reactor7; (ii) the transition segment 25 having an inlet 25 a that is smallerthan the outlet 25 b; (iii) the reaction chamber 7 a comprised of aninlet 7 b substantially the same size as the outlet 25 b of thetransition segment 25; (iv) a discharge outlet 7 c smaller than theinlet 7 b of the reaction chamber 7 a; (v) the compressed feedstock 15in the transition segment 25 compressed against the compressed feedstock15 in the reaction chamber 7 a; (vi) the reactor 7 having a means forheating the compressed feedstock 15 in the reaction chamber 7 a to forma feedstock plug 27; (vii) the compression of the feedstock 15 in thetransition segment 25 against the feedstock plug 27 in the reactionchamber 7 a moving the feedstock plug 27 from the inlet 7 b to thedischarge outlet 7 c; (viii) the moving feedstock plug 27 cooking duringits downstream movement in the reaction chamber 7 a; and (ix) a meansfor discharging a liquefied slurry of cooked feedstock 15.

An embodiment of the transition segment 25 is comprised of (i) a coneshaped interior having a plurality of sides, (ii) the inlet 25 a havinga downward positioned—V-shape, and (iii) the plurality of sidestransitioning from the inlet 25 a to a larger outlet 25 b.

An embodiment of the interior of the reaction chamber 7 a has a shapeselected from the group consisting of a cone segment 7 n, long straightsegment 7 j, mid-length straight segment 7 j, short straight segment 7j, inwardly tapered segment 7 k, inwardly tapered segment 7 k having aplurality of converging inside walls 7 i, outwardly tapered segment 7 o,outwardly tapered segment 7 o having a plurality of diverging insidewalls, convex segment 7 l, U-elbow segment 7 m, exit plug segment 7 p,concave segment 7 q, connector segment 7 r, or any combination of theforegoing segments. The segments may have varying diameters among andwithin the segments and may have varying lengths. The inlet 25 a of thereactor 7 is larger than the discharge outlet 7 c regardless of theshape, length, or number of segments of the reactor 7.

An embodiment of the reactor pump has a directional control valve 3 forextending and retracting the cylinder 13.

Another embodiment of the reactor pump 1 is comprised of a gate 6 andhas (i) downward positioned V-shaped planar faces for mating with adownward positioned V-shaped bottom of the pumping chamber 5 a and (ii)a bevel 6 d on the bottom of the gate 6. An embodiment of the reactorpump 1 has (i) a feed hopper 14 for receiving feedstock 15, the hopper14 having an open bottom sitting atop the opening of a charging chamber2 and (ii) the charging chamber 2 having an open bottom in line with thefeedstock opening 5 e in the pumping chamber 5 a.

A further embodiment has a pumping chamber 5 b lined with stainlesssteel, a gate 6 comprised of zirconium, and interior walls of thereaction chamber 7 b comprised of zirconium.

Embodiments of the feedstock 15 are comprised of (a) cellulose materialselected from the group consisting of wood, logs, wood chips, lumber,newspaper, cardboard, corn fiber, corn cob, sugar cane, straw, switchgrass, or any combination thereof; (b) water; and (c) acid selected fromthe group consisting of sulfuric, hydrochloric, ammonium, or anycombination thereof. The acid is in an aqueous solution of about 0.5% toabout 10% sulfuric acid. The feedstock 15 may be comprised of about 2%by weight of acid, about 20% by weight of granular cellulose, and lessthan about 78% by weight of water. In an embodiment of the feedstock thecellulose material comprises less than about 50% of the feedstock. Thecellulose may be granulated before or after the water and acid are addedto the cellulose.

The reactor pump 1 has a means for discharging cooked feedstock 15. Themeans comprises an adjustable pressure relief valve 10 on the dischargeoutlet 7 c of the reaction chamber 7 a that automatically dischargescooked feedstock when a pre-set pressure level within the reactionchamber 7 a is reached.

An embodiment also includes a throttle valve 9 for changing the cooktime of the feedstock 15. The throttle valve 9 has a movable internalpiston 9 a that is movable within the discharge outlet 7 c of thereactor 7. To increase the cook time 16, the piston 9 a is movedupstream to a selected point within the discharge outlet 7 c. Todecrease the cook time 16 the piston 9 a is moved downstream to aselected point within the discharge outlet 7 c.

Other embodiments have a means for injecting steam into the reactionchamber 7 a and a means for injecting acid into the reaction chamber 7a. The means for injecting steam and the means for injecting acid arecomprised of independently controlled injector ports through the outerand inner walls of the reactor 7. The reactor pump 1 is capable ofliquefying the feedstock 15 into a slurry without the introduction ofacid into the reaction chamber 7 a. However, some cellulose may beparticularly difficult to process and the addition of acid in thereaction chamber 7 a can catalyze the reaction.

Embodiments of the reactor pump can be configured for continuous orsemi-continuous operation.

An embodiment of the reactor for catalyzed hydrolytic splitting ofcellulose, comprises: (a) a means for high pressure pumping of feedstock15 into a reaction chamber 7 a and (b) a reactor 7 comprised of (i) thetransition segment 25 connected to a downstream reaction chamber; (ii)the transition segment 25 having an inlet 25 a that is smaller than itsoutlet 25 b; (iii) the reaction chamber 7 a comprised of an inlet 7 bsubstantially the same size as the outlet 25 b of the transition segment25; (iv) a discharge outlet 7 c smaller than the inlet 7 b of thereaction chamber 7 a; (v) compressed feedstock 15 in the transitionsegment 25 compressed against compressed feedstock 15 in the reactionchamber 7 a; (vi) the reactor 7 having a means for heating thecompressed feedstock 15 in the reaction chamber 7 a to form a feedstockplug 27; (vii) the compression of the feedstock 15 in the transitionsegment 25 against the feedstock plug 27 in the reaction chamber 7 amoving the feedstock plug 27 from the inlet 7 b to the discharge outlet7 c; (viii) the moving feedstock plug 27 cooking during its downstreammovement in the reaction chamber 7 a; (ix) a means for discharging aliquefied slurry of cooked feedstock 15; and (x) the reactor 7configured for continuous operation.

An embodiment of a catalyzed hydrolytic process for splitting cellulose,comprises the steps of: (a) supplying feedstock 15; (b) dispensing thefeedstock 15 into a pump 5; (c) pumping 5 the feedstock 15 against aclosed gate 6 to compress the feedstock 15; (d) opening the gate 6 uponthe occurrence of an event, the event selected from the group consistingof reaching a pre-set level of pressure on the closed gate 6, reaching apre-set position of an extending cylinder 13 within a pumping chamber 5a, expiration of a pre-set period of time, anything else, or anycombination of the foregoing; (e) pumping 5 the feedstock 15 while thegate 6 is opening; (f) pumping 5 the compressed feedstock 15 againstcompressed feedstock 15 in a reaction chamber 7 a after the gate 6 isfully opened, thereby moving the compressed feedstock downstream; (g)forming a plug 27 of compressed feedstock 15 within the reaction chamber7 a by the downstream movement of the compressed feedstock from an inlet7 b that is larger than a discharge outlet 7 c of the reaction chamber 7a; (h) subjecting the plug 27 in the reaction chamber 7 a to aconstellation of physical things selected from the group consisting ofpressure, heat, steam, acid, or any combination thereof; (i) cooking theplug 27 within the reaction chamber 7 a during its downstream movementwhile it is subjected to the selected physical things; (j) opening thedischarge outlet 7 c upon the occurrence of an event, the event selectedfrom the group consisting of reaching a pre-set pressure level in thereaction chamber 7 a, expiration of a pre-set period of time, or anycombination of the foregoing; (k) whereby opening the discharge outlet 7c rapidly reduces the pressure in the reaction chamber 7 a, the outersurface of the cellulose is broken down, and a liquefied slurry ofcooked feedstock is discharged from the discharge outlet 7 c.

An embodiment of the process of forming a plug 27 of compressedfeedstock 15, comprises the steps of: (i) ramming, at high pressure, adownstream end the compressed feedstock 15 into an inlet 25 a of atransition segment 25, against an upstream end of the compressedfeedstock 15 in the transition segment 25, and out an outlet 25 b of thetransition segment 25, the outlet 25 b having a size larger than theinlet 25 a; (ii) ramming, at high pressure, the downstream end of thecompressed feedstock 15 from the outlet 25 b of the transition segment25 against the upstream end of the compressed feedstock 15 in the inlet7 b of the reaction chamber 7 a; (iii) holding the compressed feedstock15 in the reaction chamber 7 b for a pre-set period of cook time toallow conversion of the cellulose to a liquefied slurry; (iv) opening,at the end of the pre-set period of cook time, a discharge outlet 7 cthat is smaller than the inlet 7 b of the reaction chamber 7 a todischarge the liquefied slurry; and (v) whereby the reaction chamber 7 ais cyclically filled with compressed feedstock. The downstream pressureon the plug 27 is monitored as is the back pressure in the reactionchamber 7 b. The downstream and back pressures are compared to determineif they are equal and equalized if they differ.

Embodiments of the process comprise the steps of: (i) pressurizing thecooking feedstock 15 by ramming 4 the cooking feedstock 15 downstream inthe reaction chamber 7 a; (ii) heating the cooking feedstock 15 by themeans selected from the group consisting of injecting steam directlyinto the reaction chamber 7 a, indirectly heating the cooking feedstock15 by heating the outer surface of the reactor 7, flowing a heatedsubstrate through a jacket surrounding the outer surface of the reactor7, or any combination of the foregoing; and (iii) injecting steam oracid from the outer surface to the inner surface of the reactor 7 andinto the cooking feedstock 15.

An embodiment comprises the steps of subjecting (i) the feedstock 15 toa pressure of up to about 2000 psi and (ii) the reaction chamber 7 a toa temperature of up to about 1000° Fahrenheit.

Embodiments comprise the steps of (i) receiving feedstock 15 in a feedhopper 14, the feed hopper having an open top and an open bottom; (ii)receiving the feedstock 15 from the feed hopper in a charging chamber 2,the charging chamber 2 having an open top in-line with the open bottomof the hopper 14 and an open bottom in-line with an opening 5 c in thepumping chamber 5 a; and (iii) receiving the feedstock 15 from thecharging chamber 2 in the opening 5 c of the pumping chamber 5 a.

The process also comprises the steps of (i) extending a ram 4 on thedownstream end of cylinder 13 against feedstock 15 in the pumpingchamber 5 a to compress the feedstock 15 against a closed gate 6; (ii)opening the gate 6 upon the occurrence of an event selected from thegroup consisting of expiration of a pre-set time period, reaching apre-set level of pressure on the upstream face of the gate 6, andextension of the ram 4 to a pre-set position; (iv) reducing the speed ofthe ram 4 as the gate is opening, and continuing the reduced speed afterthe gate 6 is opened; (v) continuing extension of the ram 4 until theoccurrence of an event selected from the group consisting of expirationof a pre-set time period and extension of the ram 4 to a pre-setposition; (vi) retracting the ram 4 after the occurrence of a selectedevent; and (iv) continuing retraction of the ram 4 until the occurrenceof an event selected from the group consisting of expiration of apre-set time period and retraction of the ram 4 to a pre-set position.

An embodiment of the feedstock is mixed by the steps of: grinding thecellulose; mixing acid with water to form an aqueous solution of about0.5% to about 10% acid; mixing the cellulose, the aqueous solution ofacid, and additional water to form feedstock; selecting the cellulosefrom the group consisting of wood, logs, wood chips, lumber, newspaper,cardboard, corn fiber, corn cob, sugar cane, straw, switch grass, or anycombination thereof, (v) selecting the acid from the group consisting ofsulfuric, hydrochloric, ammonium, or any combination thereof, andgranulating the formed feedstock 15. The feedstock may be formed bymixing about 20% to about 50% by weight of granular cellulose with about78% to about 48% by weight of water, and about 2% by weight of acid.Acid can be added to the feedstock after it is fed into the reactor pump1.

Another embodiment of the reactor pump is comprises of a means forcompressing cellulose into a reactor and a means for catalyzedhydrolytic splitting of the compressed cellulose in the reactor. Themeans for compressing cellulose material is a pump comprising (i) apumping chamber having an opening for receiving the cellulose; (ii) aram configured to compress the cellulose within the pumping chamber andthe reactor during an extension stroke; (iii) the ram configured toretract to allow cellulose to fill the pumping chamber; and (iv)continuation of the extension and retraction of the ram. The reactorcomprises (i) an inlet and a discharge outlet each of which has asmaller cross-sectional area than the cross-sectional area of theinterior of the reactor; (ii) the cellulose formed into a plug bycompression of the cellulose in the reactor; (iii) the cellulose plugforced downstream within the reactor by compression on the cellulose inthe reactor; (iv) the pressure and heat within the reactor progressivelycooking the cellulose plug to a liquid slurry during its downstreammovement towards the discharge outlet; (v) the liquid slurry dischargedout the discharge outlet. Inputs to the reactor are selected from thegroup consisting of (i) pressure for maintaining plug density, movingthe plug downstream, and breaking the plug down to a liquid slurry, (ii)acid and/or steam for breaking the plug down to a liquid slurry, (iii)water for reducing friction between the interior walls of the reactorand the plug, or (iv) any combination of the foregoing. The liquefiedslurry is discharged from the reactor when pressure in the reactorreaches a pre-set level and there is a means for changing the time thatthe cellulose plug cooks.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is an isometric view of an embodiment of a reactor pump 1.

FIG. 1B is a cut-away view of an embodiment of a reactor pump 1.

FIG. 2 is a cut-away view of a reactor 7.

FIG. 3 is an end view of a reactor 7 from the inlet 7 b end.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a reactor 7 illustrating the steam jacket inlet24 a and the steam jacket outlet 24 b.

FIG. 5 is a cut-away view of a reactor 7.

FIG. 6 is a view of the outlet 25 b of a transition segment 25 of areactor 7.

FIG. 7 is a cut-away view from the side of a transition segment 25.

FIG. 8 is a top view of a transition segment 25.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a transition segment 25.

FIG. 10 is a view of the inlet 25 a of a transition segment 25.

FIG. 11 is a bottom view of a transition segment 25.

FIG. 12 is a view of the right side of a reactor pump 7.

FIG. 13 is a top view of a reactor pump 7.

FIG. 14 is a view of a reactor pump 7 from the downstream/reactor end.

FIG. 15 is a view of the left side of a reactor pump 7.

FIG. 16 is a view of a reactor pump 7 from the upstream/pump end.

FIG. 17 is a bottom view of a reactor pump 7.

FIG. 18 is an elevation view of the downstream side of a knife gate 6.

FIG. 19 is an elevation view of the side of a knife gate 6.

FIG. 20 is an elevation view of the upstream side of a knife gate 6.

FIG. 21 is an elevation view of a hydraulic cylinder 13 for moving theram 4.

FIG. 22 is a view of a reactor pump 1 with a straight segment 7 jconnected to an adjoining inwardly tapered segment 7 k.

FIG. 23A is a schematic view of an embodiment of a transition segment 25and a reaction chamber 7 a.

FIG. 23B is a view of an embodiment of a reaction chamber 7 a having aconfiguration that varies along its length including an inlet 7 b, anoutwardly tapered segment 7 o (a cone section 7 n), an inwardly taperedsegment 7 k, a series of alternating concave 7 q and convex 7 lsegments, and an exit plug segment 7 p.

FIG. 24 is a view of an embodiment of a reaction chamber 7 a havingmultiple plugs—inlet, intermediate, and exit plugs, including an inlet 7o, a straight segment 7 j, an inwardly tapered segment 7 k, a secondinlet 7 o, a straight segment 7 j, an inwardly tapered segment 7 k, aconvex segment 7 l, a concave segment 7 q, an exit plug segment 7 p, anda discharge outlet 7 c.

FIG. 25A is a cross-section view of an embodiment of a reaction chamber7 a having a transition segment 25, a straight segment 7 j, an inwardlytapered segment 7 k, a connector segment 7 r, a concave segment 7 q, anda convex segment 7 l.

FIG. 25B is an elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 25A.

FIG. 25C is a view of the connector segment 7 r between the inwardlytapered segment 7 k and the segments having concave and convex shapes 7q and 7 l.

FIG. 26 is a view of a reactor pump 1 having a straight segment 7 j, aninwardly tapered segment 7 k, a second straight segment 7 j, a firstU-shaped elbow 7 m, a third straight segment 7 j, a second U-shapedelbow 7 m, a fourth straight segment 7 j.

FIG. 27 is a view of a reactor pump 1 having multiple straight segments7 j with elbows 7 m between the segments.

FIG. 28 is a view of a reactor pump 1 with multiple segments including astraight segment 7 j; an inwardly tapered segment 7 k, three straightsegments 7 j, two u-elbow segments 7 m, and an exit plug segment 7 p.

FIG. 29 is a view of a reactor pump 1 with multiple segments having avariety of configurations, lengths, and diameters, wherein the output ofthe reactor 7 is the input to another reactor pump 1.

FIG. 30 is a view of a reactor 7 with a low volume exit valve.

FIG. 31 is a view of a reactor 7 with a high volume exit valve.

FIG. 32 is a view of a reaction chamber 7 a with a zirconium liner 7 hand a heat exchanger 29 a that may be configured to use oil or steam.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Overview

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate the overall components of reactor pump 1 andprovides a basis for the “Description of Embodiments” of reactor pump 1.

The pump portion of the reactor pump 1 is a piston pump. It is highlyefficient and can exert pressure on the feedstock 15 ranging up to about2000 psi. The pump's function is to move feedstock 15 to the reactor 7inlet 7 b and ram it into the reaction chamber 7 a to create a feedstockplug 27 in the reaction chamber 7 a. A screw pump can be used, but itsefficiency and pressure inducing capacity are relatively low.

The reactor 7 portion of the reactor pump 1 functions to cook thefeedstock plug 27 in the reaction chamber 7 a and discharge the cookedfeedstock plug 27 as an intermediate liquefied slurry product forultimate conversion to ethanol. The reactor 7 is configured to routinelysustain a temperature in the reaction chamber 7 a ranging up to about1000° Fahrenheit. Embodiments of the reaction chamber 7 a may beconfigured to have converging inside walls 7 i, straight segments 7 j,inwardly tapered segments 7 k, outwardly tapered segments 7 o, convexsegments 7 l, U-elbow segments 7 m, cone or bell segments 7 n, exit plugsegments 7 p, connector segments 7 r, or any combination of theforegoing.

The reactor pump 1 is controlled by a program controller (a computingdevice such as a programmable logic controller—a PLC).

Feedstock 15 is comprised of a mix of cellulose, water and acid. Theacid may, for example, be dilute sulfuric or ammonium acid dependingupon the characteristics of the cellulose. The acid pre-treats thefeedstock 15. The feedstock 15 may, for example, be mixed prior to itsentry into a fine grinder 19. Or only the cellulose and the water may bemixed and fed into the fine grinder 19, which is equipped to impregnatethe cellulose with acid during the grinding process. Either way, thefine grinder 19 granulates the feedstock 15.

The granulated feedstock 15 is fed into a hopper 14, which sits atop acharging chamber 2. The feedstock 15 drops from the hopper 14 into thecharging chamber 2. The charging chamber 2 is open at its bottom to thepumping chamber 5 a so that the feedstock 15 will continue to drop fromthe charging chamber 2 to a feedstock opening 5 e in the pumping chamber5 a.

A ram 4 is attached to, and driven by, the main hydraulic cylinder 13.The ram 4 is directed to retract or extend by a directional controlvalve 3. When the ram 4 is retracting, feedstock 15 is dropped into thefeedstock opening 5 e in the pumping chamber 5 a. The feedstock opening5 e is located between ram 4 when it is a fully retracted position andthe upstream face of a vertically extending knife gate 6.

At the initial start-up of the reactor pump 1, the reaction chamber 7 ais empty. The pumping chamber 5 a is filled with feedstock 15, thehydraulic cylinder 13 is alternately extended and retracted tocompresses the feedstock 15 into the pre-heated reaction chamber 7 auntil the reaction chamber 7 a is filled with feedstock 15. Afterinitial filling of the reaction chamber 7 a the semi-continuous processof converting feedstock 15 to a liquefied slurry begins. For example,the process may begin when the hydraulic cylinder 13 is retracted. Atthe end of retraction of the main hydraulic cylinder 13, the cylinder 13(or a ram 4 on the downstream end of the hydraulic cylinder 13) stopsmomentarily and then extends the ram 4 at a first pre-set speed towardsthe closed knife gate 6. In so doing, the ram 4 moves the feedstock 15downstream and compresses it in the pumping chamber 5 a against theclosed knife gate 6. During the early stage of the ram's extension, thefeedstock 15 continues to fill the pumping chamber 5 a. When filling thepumping chamber 5 a with feedstock 15, the PLC monitors the hydraulicpressure in the main hydraulic cylinder 13 and monitors the position ofthe ram 4 in the pumping chamber 5 a. When the PLC determines that thepumping chamber 5 a is full of feedstock 15 and the ram 4 has begun tocompress the feedstock 15 against the knife gate 6, the PLC reduces thespeed of the ram 4 to a second pre-set speed. The ram continues toextend towards the knife gate 6, but at the reduced speed. The ram 4continues to pressurize the feedstock 15 in the pumping chamber 5 auntil the compressive hydraulic force exerted by the ram 4 on theupstream face of the knife gate 6 is about equal to the back pressure onthe downstream face of the knife gate 6. At this point the feedstock 15is fully compressed against the knife gate 6 and the knife gate 6 beginsto open. Ram 4, nevertheless continues to press against the knife gate 6during the time period in which the knife gate 6 is opening. During theopening time period, the ram speed may be further reduced to thirdpre-set speed that is less than the second pre-set speed. After theknife gate 6 is fully opened, the ram 4 continues its travel beyond theknife gate 6 and through the relatively short remaining portion of thepumping chamber 5 a, but it does so at either the second or thirdpre-set speed, to maintain the volume of feedstock 15 in the reactionchamber 7 a. The second and third pre-set speeds are available to allowthe pump 5 to adjust to the characteristics of the feedstock 15.Compression of the feedstock 15 allows some water to be removed from thecellulose material. Water can be easily removed by gravity and drainedout the liquid exits 8 a in the pumping chamber 5 a. During this stageof extension, ram 4 pushes the compressed feedstock 15 into the inlet 25a of the transition segment 25 to keep the reaction chamber 7 a full offeedstock 15 so the volume of feedstock in the reaction chamber 7 c isalways at a pre-set level. Ram 4 does not stop at any point during itsextension phase other than at the end of its stroke, which is at theinlet 25 a of the transition segment 25. Ram 4 does not extend into thetransition segment 25. The PLC also monitors the position of the ram 4to determine when the ram 4 reaches the end of its pumping stroke. Atthe end of the ram's stroke it momentarily stops and then retracts toits fully retracted position. The PLC signals the knife gate 6 to closewhen the ram 4 retracts past the knife gate's 6 position. The ram 4continues its retraction to the end of its stroke. At the end of itsstroke, the ram 4 continues its endless cycles until reactor pump 1 isshut down.

The PLC continuously monitors the downstream pressure of the ram 4 onthe compressed feedstock 15 as it is driven against the compressedfeedstock plug 27 that is already in the reaction chamber 7 a. The PLCcontinues to monitor the internal back pressure on the feedstock plug 27to determine if these opposing forces need to be equalized. In anembodiment of the reactor pump 1, the pressures can be equalized bybleeding the pressure off through a pressure relief valve or increasingthe pressure by injecting steam in the reaction chamber 7 a throughsteam ports 7 f, depending upon whether the pressure in the reactionchamber 7 a is too high or too low.

Injection of steam into the reaction chamber 7 a also serves the purposeof cooking the feedstock plug 27 by heating it. The steam heat and thepressure in the reaction chamber 7 a cooks that portion of the feedstockplug 27 that is proximate the interior walls of the reaction chamber 7 ato a nearly uniform state. The cook process eventually breaks downalmost the entire feedstock plug 27.

At all times, the reaction chamber 7 a may subject the feedstock 15 toheat and pressure, and in some cases acid. Moreover, the hydraulicpressure of ram 4 against the feedstock 15 entering the reaction chamber7 a creates additional heat in the reaction chamber 7 a. Accordingly,this semi-continuous process of downstream movement of the feedstock 15from the inlet 7 b of the reaction chamber 7 a to the discharge outlet 7c of reaction chamber 7 a subjects, for a given period of time (the“cook time 16”), all portions of the feedstock 15 to nearly uniformhydrolytic action. As the feedstock 15 breaks down it flows downstreamto the discharge end of the reaction chamber 7 a and is constantlyreplenished with the new feedstock entering the reaction chamber 7 a.During the period of ramming the feedstock 15 through the transitionsegment 25 there may be a small pressure drop in the reaction chamber 7a, but in short order the reaction chamber 7 a pressure returns to thepre-set discharge release pressure of a discharge valve 10 and convertedfeedstock 15 flows out a discharge pipe 12 into, for example, a stage 2reactor where it is further converted. The combination of steam, water,highly compressed feedstock 15, high temperature, and the rapid drop inpressure when the discharge pipe 12 opens, breaks down the cellulose andconverts it into a high solid pumpable material, i.e., a flowableslurry. Under certain circumstances acid may be introduced into thereactor 7 to assist the break down process.

If pressure in the reaction chamber 7 a cannot be raised by turning onsteam ports 7 f, the PLC can advance the throttle valve 9 to allow thefeedstock plug 27 to remain in the reaction chamber 7 a so it can cookfor a longer time period. Furthermore, steam can be (i) injected duringthe time the knife gate 6 is open, (ii) injected during the time theknife gate 6 is closed, (iii) injected continuously, or (iv) shut off.The duration of steam injection and its volume are, among other factors,a function of the composition of the feedstock plug 27, which can vary agreat deal.

In some cases water and acid can be added to the feedstock plug 27 byinjecting one or both into the reaction chamber 7 a through the steamports 7 f. Alternatively, separate independent ports for acid can beutilized, as well as for additional water if needed.

Heating the biomass in the reaction chamber 7 a by steam injection isbut one way of cooking the feedstock plug 27 to convert it to, anddischarge it as, a liquefied slurry. The biomass can be indirectlyheated by heating the surface of the reactor 7 and allowing the heat totransit into the reaction chamber 7 a walls and be absorbed by thebiomass. Indirect heating may, for example, be accomplished usinginduction heating or by flowing hot oil or water through a jacket 24surrounding the reactor 7.

The various segments of the reactor 7 are each independently heated byexternal means and are monitored for temperature excursions, which arequickly corrected. The reaction chamber 7 a is configured so that thecharacteristics of the feedstock at any given point can be altered.

The PLC—program control—is based upon pre-set parameters, such as forexample: (i) the level of pressure on the knife gate 6 and in thereaction chamber 7 a; (ii) the level of temperature in the reactionchamber 7 a; (iii) the position of the cylinder 13 in the pumpingchamber 5 a; (iv) the pre-set speeds of cylinder 13; (v) the verticalposition of the knife gate 6 during opening and closing; (vi) thepre-set cook time; (vii) the pre-set levels of pressure at which thedischarge outlet 7 c of the reaction chamber 7 a will open and close;(viii) the length of time between full retraction of the cylinder andfull extension of the cylinder 13; (ix) the condition of the feedstock15 in the reaction chamber 7 b at which acid may begin to be injectedinto the reaction chamber 7 a and the condition of the feedstock 15 atwhich injection ends; (x) the time at which acid begins to be injectedinto the reaction chamber 7 a and time at which injection ends; (xi) thetime at which steam begins to be injected into the reaction chamber 7 aand the time at which injection ends; (xii) the time at which water, ifany, begins to be injected into the reaction chamber 7 a and the time atwhich injection ends; and (xiii) the condition of the feedstock 15 atwhich water, if any, begins to be injected into the reaction chamber 7 aand the condition of the feedstock 15 at which injection ends. Each ofthese parameters are loaded into the PLC. The program controller'sfunction is to compare feedback conditions from sensors to the storedparameters to, among other things (i) maintain steady state conditionsin the reaction chamber 7 a when feedback from sensors on the reactorpump 1 so warrant and (ii) change the steady state conditions whenfeedback from sensors on the reactor pump 1 so warrant.

Embodiments of the reactor pump 1 increase the extension speed of theram 4 from that of its initial rate when the hydraulic pressure reachesa pre-set level or the position of the ram 4 is at a pre-set distancefrom the knife gate 6. The pre-set parameters correspond to an amount offeedstock 15 in the pumping chamber 5 a and are established to preventopening the knife gate 6 when the amount of feedstock 15 is below apre-set level in the pumping chamber 5 a.

Hydrolytic Chemistry and Parameters

Reactor pump 1 implements the first stage of processing cellulosematerial into what is ultimately sugar. The sugar can be fermented andused to make ethanol. In a first step, reactor pump 1 breaks down thehusk of the cellulose by splitting its fibers. An embodiment of theprocess begins with impregnating the cellulose with acid, which speedsup the breakdown of the husks, i.e., catalyzes them. The catalyzed husksare then compressed into the reactor 7 where they are subjected to highpressure, high temperature, highly heated steam, and sometimes acid.This hydrolization step further breaks down the husks into a slurry forfurther processing to sugar. The acid used for impregnating thecellulose can be dilute sulfuric or ammonium acid depending upon thecharacteristics of the cellulose. The acid pre-treats the feedstock 15.An embodiment of the feedstock 15 of the process is comprised of 2% byweight of acid, 20% by weight of granular cellulose, and 78% by weightof water, depending upon the type of cellulose used. The process is moreefficient if the water is less than 78%. It has been found that if thewater content is reduced to less that 50% of the mixture, the hydrolysisprocess is more efficient. An embodiment of the reactor pump 1 drivesthe feedstock 15 into reaction chamber 7 a under a force of about 600psi and the cooked feedstock is released through discharge pipe 12 at apressure of about 200 psi. This depressurization from about 600 psi toabout 200 psi further split the husks. The husks are broken down in partby pre-heating the incoming feedstock as it arrives in the reactionchamber 7 a. The primary breakdown results from the high pressureinjection of saturated steam into chamber 7 a at a temperature of about220° Celsius and a pressure of about 600 psi. In certain cases acid isintroduced into chamber 7 a to further catalyze the reaction. In anembodiment, the cook time 16 is about 15 seconds, but in otherembodiments the cook time is in the range of about 12 to about 25seconds. The maximum theoretical (i) discharge pressure is about 1,000psi and (ii) the hydraulic pressure is about 3,000 psi. The reactor pump1 is a closed loop system whereby all variables are sensed by acomputing device, such as a PLC, that feeds back any corrections neededto stabilize the system in accordance with the pre-set parameters.

Feedstock

The primary material in the feedstock 15 is cellulose containingmaterial such as for example, wood products in the form of logs, woodchips, or lumber; newspaper and cardboard; sugar cane, and straw. Thecellulose material is granulated. It is then mixed with acid and water.Suitable acids are dilute sulfuric or ammonium acid, which may, forexample, be an aqueous solution of about 0.5% to about 10% acid. Theacid can also be mixed with the material in a dry form. Different acidscan also be used and each would be impregnated into the cellulose in adifferent amount. The strength of the acid may also depend upon thenature of the cellulose material chosen for the feedstock 15.Furthermore, the cellulose material used may be a mixture of differentcellulose material, each of which may require more or less acid in thefeedstock 15. Reaction pump 1 is enabled to add more or lesssupplemental acid to the feedstock during processing to adjust for thevarying types and mixtures of cellulose material, as well as varyingprocess parameters encountered during processing. The cellulose acidmixture is loaded into feed hopper 14 and is dispensed through chargingchamber 2 into pumping chamber 5 a. The feedstock 15 begins to bedispensed when ram 4 is in its retraction phase and near the downstreamend of the feedstock opening 5 e.

Pump

Reactor pump 1 is an integral, unitary combination of a material movingpump 5 and a reactor 7 for the first stage conversion of cellulose to amaterial suitable for making sugar. Although reactor 7 and pump 5 forman integral unit, they perform distinct functions. Pump 5 essentiallymoves feedstock 15 into the reactor 7.

Pump 5, as shown in FIGS. 1A-1B, 12-13, 15-17, 22, and 26-29, isupstream from reactor 7. Pump 5 is comprised of a V-shaped trough 18 anda V-shaped main housing 17 each of which is linearly aligned with theother and connected together. V-shaped trough 18 is open on its top.Directional control valve 3 is situated adjacent the upstream end of thetrough 18 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. It directs ram 4 to either extendor retract and change its speed in accordance with the programcontrolled reactor pump 1.

FIG. 21 illustrates a hydraulic cylinder 13 for moving ram 4. Thecylinder shown is a reverse hydraulic cylinder 13 in that the cylinder13 is the movable member and the internal piston 13 b is the fixedmember. The cylinder 13 is controlled by directional control valve 3.The cylinder 13 is mounted at the upstream end of trough 18 by mounts 20and aligned with pumping chamber 5 a at the downstream end of trough 18by chamber gland 21. FIG. 21 shows hole 13 a for connecting the ram 4 tothe cylinder 13 with a pin.

The V-shaped main housing 17 is partially closed on its top by top plate26. The remainder of the top of main housing 17 is covered by chargingchamber 2. Connected at the top of the charging chamber 2 is feed hopper14. Feed hopper 14 has a flared out top section for collection offeedstock 15 and the charging chamber 2 directs the flow of feedstock 15to the pumping chamber 5 a. From its fully retracted state, ram 4extends downstream against feedstock 15 and compresses the feedstockagainst the knife gate 6. The lower face 4 a of the ram is angled upwardfrom the bottom portion of a stainless steel liner 5 b to assistscouring feedstock 15 from the bottom of the liner 5 b during itsextension. The upper face 4 b of the ram 4 is angled downward from thetop of the liner 5 b so that the top portion of the stainless steelliner 5 b puts downward pressure on ram 4 to avoid upward lifting of theram. Main housing 17 is lined with stainless steel 5 b to resist acidreduction from the feedstock 15. It is also equipped with heightadjustable feet 17 a for leveling reactor pump 1.

Knife Gate

FIGS. 18-20 best show the knife gate 6, in isolation from the reactorpump 1. The knife gate 6, in its context within the reactor pump 1, isshown in FIGS. 1A-1B and 12-17. In FIG. 1B, the knife gate 6 is in adown position. On the upstream side of the knife gate 6 is a relativelylong segment of the pumping chamber 5 a. A relatively short segment ofthe pumping chamber 5 a continues from the downstream side of the knifegate 6 and terminates at the inlet 25 a of the transition segment 25.The pumping chamber 5 a collects the feedstock 15 as it drops out of thecharging chamber 2. The collected feedstock is driven downstream by ram4 against the upstream side of the knife gate 6.

FIG. 18 is an elevation view of the downstream side of knife gate 6 in aclosed position. Knife gate 6 is constructed of zirconium to resistcorrosion by the acid in the feedstock 15. The downstream face of knife6 a is planar.

FIG. 19 is an elevation view of the side of the knife gate 6. Knife gatepiston 6 b can be seen in this view. The piston 6 b extends and retractswithin the hydraulic cylinder 6 c. The piston 6 b may be constructed ofcarbon steel. The bottom of knife 6 a has a bevel 6 d on its upstreamside to make positive contact upon closure of the knife gate 6 with thestainless steel liner 5 b in pumping chamber 5 a.

FIG. 20 is an elevation view of the upstream side of the knife gate 6wherein it is shown that the bottom edge of the knife 6 a is V-shaped.The V-shaped knife 6 a seats in the V-shaped pumping chamber 5 a. Eachof the figures shows spring loaded packing glands 6 e that act as shockabsorbers when the knife 6 a closes on the V-shaped stainless steelliner 5 b. Opening and closing of the knife gate 6 may be actuated by,for example, hydraulic or pneumatic pressure.

FIGS. 22 and 26-29 illustrate another embodiment of the reactor pump 1.In this embodiment, there is no knife gate 6. The reactor pump 1directly compresses feedstock 15 against feedstock 15 already in thereaction chamber 7 a. This process is also done in a semi-continuouslymanner.

Reactor

Reactor 7 is comprised of a transition segment 25, a reaction chamber 7a, and a valve cluster comprised of throttle 9, discharge 10, and check11 valves. As shown in FIGS. 1B and 6-11, the transition segment 25begins at the end of the pumping chamber 5 a and ends at the inlet 7 bto the reaction chamber 7 a. The valve cluster is downstream of thedischarge outlet 7 c of the reaction chamber 7 a. An embodiment of thetransition segment 25 is eight sided to smoothly transition from therelatively small inlet 25 a to the larger outlet 25 b. An embodiment ofthe interior of the transition segment 25 is a cone 25 g shaped segmentwith the small inlet 7 b coned outwardly to meet the larger outlet 25 b.

The inlet 25 a, as shown in FIG. 10, is triangular shaped with the “V”end positioned downward to match the V-shaped lower portion of the mainhousing 17. Inlet flange 25 c is attached to main housing 17. Transitionsegment 25 has strengthening gussets 25 e along its length, as well asrings 25 h for hoisting the transition segment 25 in place between thepumping chamber 5 a and the reaction chamber 7 a. FIG. 6 shows theoutlet 25 b of the transition segment 25 with an outlet flange 25 d forattachment to the reaction chamber 7 a inlet flange 7 g. FIG. 7 showsthat the area of the inlet 25 a of the transition segment 25 is small ascompared to the larger area of the outlet 25 b. When feedstock 15 entersthe transition segment 25 it is packed into the transition segment 25and against the feedstock in the reaction chamber 7 a by ram pressure.The feedstock 15 already in the reaction chamber 7 a has been formedinto a plug 27 due to the necking down of the reaction chamber 7 a froma larger inlet 7 b area to a smaller discharge outlet 7 c area. Thesmaller discharge outlet 7 c of the reaction chamber 7 a will not allowall of the feedstock 15 to be driven out the discharge outlet 7 c. Andthe constant compression of the feedstock within the transition segment25 and the reaction chamber 7 b causes the feedstock to form the plug27.

As ram 4 is retracted from feedstock 15, back pressure in the reactionchamber 7 a wants to push feedstock 15 out of the reaction chamber 7 a,out of the transition segment 25, and into the pumping chamber 5 a.Movement of the compressed feedstock plug 27 out the inlet 25 a of thetransition segment 25 would allow high pressure in the reaction chamber7 a to escape into the pumping chamber 5 a and then into the mainhydraulic cylinder 13 where it could cause the pump 5 to seize. Theknife gate 6, even when it is closed, does not provide an adequate sealto avoid this.

A portion of the cone 25 g shaped interior of the transition segment 25,from about the midpoint of the cone 25 g to the outlet 25 b, is linedwith zirconium 25 f to withstand heat in the transition segment 25. Theheat emanates from the reaction chamber 7 b and is transferred back intothe transition segment 25. The heat is generated by, for example,injected steam, hot water, induction heat, hot acid, or any combinationof the foregoing. FIG. 7, shows steam/acid inlets 7 f extending throughthe outlet flange 25 d of the transition segment 25. When the transitionsegment 25 is connected to the reaction chamber 7 a, inlets 7 f in thetransition segment 25 are positioned to allow steam and/or acid to beinjected into reaction chamber 7 a.

FIGS. 3-5 best show the reaction chamber 7 a. Reaction chamber 7 a isindirectly loaded with compressed feedstock 15 by ram 4 during a seriesof ram cycles. In an embodiment of the reaction chamber 7 a its exterioris surrounded by a steam jacket 24 for preheating the feedstock 15. Theinterior of the reaction chamber 7 a is lined with zirconium 7 h towithstand the elements, for example, heat from injected steam, hotwater, induced heat, hot acid, or any combination of the foregoing.Independently controlled steam/acid injector ports 7 f perforate theinterior of the reaction chamber 7 a. They can (i) be turned on or off,(ii) increase or decrease the amount of steam and or acid injected intothe reaction chamber 7 a, or (iii) maintain the current level of steamand or acid injected into the reaction chamber 7 a. The injected steamand/or acid changes or maintains the reaction rate of the feedstock 15and adjusts the flow rate of the feedstock 15 as it moves from inlet 7 bto discharge outlet 7 c in the reaction chamber 7 a during the cook time16. An embodiment of the reaction chamber 7 a has eight converging sides7 i. The sides 7 i converge from the larger inlet 7 a down to thesmaller discharge outlet 7 c. The inlet flange 7 g attaches to theoutlet flange 25 d on the transition segment 25. Ring 7 d is at the topof inlet flange 7 g. It is used for lifting segments of, or the entire,reactor pump 1 during assembly, moving, and leveling.

Steam is injected from the inlets 7 f into the reactor chamber 7 a alongits inside walls 7 i. As ram 4 continues to move the feedstock 15 intothe transition segment 25, the downstream end of feedstock 15 enters thereaction chamber 7 a and encounters the injected steam. Because theincoming feedstock 15 has a somewhat lower temperature than thefeedstock already in the reaction chamber 7 a, the steam condenses andchanges phase to water. After ram 4 completes loading the feedstock 15into the transition segment 25 and retracts upstream past the positionof the knife gate 6 in the pumping chamber 5 a, the knife gate 6 closes.The feedstock 15 is then cooked in the reaction chamber 7 a for a periodof approximately 12 to 25 seconds. Although, depending upon thefeedstock's composition, the optimal time is approximately 15 seconds.In one embodiment of the reaction pump 1, the feedstock 15 stays in thereaction chamber 7 a during the entire cook time. By the end of the cooktime 16, pressure has risen in the reaction chamber 7 a to a pre-setlevel at which point a pressure relief valve—discharge outlet 10—opensand the cooked feedstock 15 exits the reaction chamber 7 a through thedischarge pipe 12. Discharge of the feedstock generally lowers thepressure in the reaction chamber 7 a. The pressure rises to its pre-setlevel when the ram again compresses another charge of feedstock into thereactor 7.

In another embodiment, the pressure in the reaction chamber 7 a ismaintained at a level that is always equivalent to, or greater than, thepre-set pressure level. The outcome of this is that the discharge valve10 will always remain open and there will be a constant flow of theproduct out the discharge pipe 12. To sustain the continuous output, thechamber 7 a must be fed feedstock 15 quickly enough that the newfeedstock will keep the reactor substantially full and thereby replacethe discharged feedstock. To ensure that the pump 5 will accomplish itstask, the timing of the pump cycle should be substantially the same asthe timing of the cook cycle. Except for the fact that the contents inthe reaction chamber 7 a must reside in the reaction chamber 7 a for thepre-set cook time 16, the process is continuous.

In both embodiments, each time the ram 4 reaches its pre-set extensionstroke, directional control valve 3, under program control, retracts theram 4. During the retraction phase the charging chamber 2 refills thepumping chamber 5 a and the ram 4 begins its extension stroke again. Ram4 drives the feedstock 15 downstream into the knife gate 6 and as itdoes so it compresses the feedstock 15 against the knife gate 6 into ahighly compact material. At this point, the knife gate 6 opens (as it isdirected to do under program control) because the pressure on theupstream side of the knife gate 6 is approximately equal to the backpressure generated in the reaction chamber 7 a on the downstream side ofthe knife gate 6. The ram 4 continues pushing the feedstock 15downstream to the end of the pumping chamber 5 a and into the transitionsegment 25. And then the ram 4 again begins its retraction phase. Whenram 4 retracts past the open knife gate 6, the knife gate 6 closes. Whenthe ram 4 fully retracts, the program controller directs ram 4 to extenddownstream to deliver another charge of feedstock 15 to the transitionsegment 25 and the reaction chamber 7 a. The cycle time for retractionand extension of the ram 4 is pre-set to coincide with the cook cycletime (the cook time 16).

Too much pressure in the reaction chamber 7 a means the feedstock 15 isnot sufficiently reactive and too little pressure means it is overlyreactive. Reactor pump 1 monitors the pressure in chamber 7 a and makesadjustments to cook the feedstock appropriately during the cook time 16.

The ram 4 pressure on the feedstock plug 27 moves the plug 27 downstreamin the reaction chamber 7 a regardless of the divergence from the largerinlet 7 b to the smaller discharge outlet 7 c. As the cooking feedstock15 moves downstream within the converging inside walls 7 i of thereaction chamber 7 a, the shear force between the converging insidewalls 7 i and the feedstock plug 27 increases and downstream movement ofthe feedstock plug 27 slows. Notwithstanding the somewhat slowermovement of the plug 27, the less solid portion of the feedstock plug 27is squeezed to the outside of the feedstock plug 27 by the converginginside walls 7 i and water between the plug 27 and the converging insidewalls 7 i provides relatively low surface friction for the less solidportion of feedstock plug 27. At the same time heat, pressure, steam,and/or acid in the reaction chamber 7 b liquefies the cellulose in thefeedstock plug 27 along the shear plane between the converging insidewalls 7 i and the feedstock plug 27. Liquefaction tears open the outerhusk of the cellulose, which makes the converted cellulose ready forconversion to sugar. The more solid portion of the feedstock plug 27 isaway from the shear plane, but it continues to cook and in turn movestowards the converging inside walls 7 i where it too is liquefied. Itappears that surface moisture on the plug 27 and beneath the surfacemoves downstream along the shear plane of the converging inside walls 7i and “greases” the way for the feedstock plug 27 to travel to thedischarge outlet 7 c. The injected steam also softens the surface andsub-surface of the plug 27.

Numerous factors influence the configuration and efficiency of thereaction chamber 7 a. Some of these factors include (i) the size andshape of the reaction chamber 7 a, amount of heat in the reactionchamber 7 a, amount of acid in the feedstock 15, amount of acid injectedinto the feedstock 15 residing in the reaction chamber 7 a, volume ofwater in the feedstock 15, volume of water in the reaction chamber 7 a,pressure in the reaction chamber 7 a, temperature in the reactionchamber 7 a, and the characteristics of the cellulose that make up thefeedstock 15. Moreover, the desired characteristics of the output of thereaction chamber 7 a will influence its configuration. Consequently, asingle configuration of the reaction chamber 7 a will not always be themost efficient solution for each set of conditions. Accordingly, otherembodiments of the reaction chamber 7 a are viable. Such embodiments mayinclude multiple modular reaction chamber 7 a segments that are capableof being connected to one another.

The process of hydrolization is a progressive conversion of rawfeedstock 15 to an intermediate flowable product. The reaction chamber 7a continuously moves the feedstock 15 downstream to the discharge outlet7 c of the reaction chamber 7 a and while doing so the feedstock 15 isprogressively converted to the intermediate flowable product. Theprocess employs sensors on the reactor 7 to indirectly sense the stateof the conversion of the feedstock 15 at points along the length of thereactor—it does not rely on direct sampling of the feedstock 15 alongthe way, but it could. The pump 5 drives the feedstock 15 into the inlet7 b of the reaction chamber 7 a where it is formed into a semi-solidplug 27. The downstream end of the plug 27 pushes against the abuttingupstream end of the moving mass of the feedstock plug 27 that is alreadyin the reaction chamber 7 a. The feedstock plug 27 is subjected to hightemperature and pressure and after it cooks for the pre-set cook time 16a flowable product is discharged out the discharge outlet 7 c. Theflowable product can be further broken down during a second stageoperation. The process is a continuum from the inlet 25 a of thetransition segment 25 to the discharge outlet 7 c of the reactionchamber 7 a. During the continuous process, solid matter—the feedstockplug 27—is enveloped by liquid, which forms a boundary layer—a shearplane—between the inside walls of the reaction chamber 7 a and theoutside surface of the plug 27. The quasi-converted outer layer of theplug moves downstream through the reaction chamber 7 a faster than doesthe inner, more solid layer of the plug 27. As a natural consequence,the outer layer is converted more quickly than the inner layer. Theconverted feedstock may be incrementally drained off along the way orwholly drained off at the discharge outlet 7 c of the reaction chamber 7a. As the conversion process progresses, the inner layer of the plug 27becomes the outer layer and is in turn converted. The process isconfigured to maximally compress the feedstock 15 (using the pump 5 orsome other device that is capable of adequately compressing thefeedstock) entering the inlet 25 a of the transition segment 25 andexiting the discharge outlet 7 c of the reaction chamber 7 a, withoutcausing an undue pressure drop in the downstream end of the reactionchamber 7 a. As the feedstock 15 hydrolyzes along its path from theinlet 25 a to the discharge outlet 7 c, there is a naturally occurringpressure drop and a concomitant increase in liquid within the reactionchamber 7 a. The liquid is, for the most part, the flowable conversionproduct.

The purpose of the foregoing process steps is to cook the feedstock 15during its downstream travel in the reaction chamber 7 a so the outputhas the desired characteristics. The configuration of the reactionchamber 7 a as opposed to the outer walls of the reactor 7 is of primaryimportance. The area of the transition segment inlet 25 a and the areaof the reaction chamber discharge outlet 7 c are relevant factors. Inparticular, the cross-sectional area of the reaction chamber 7 a must belarger than the cross-sectional area of inlet 25 a and larger than thecross-sectional area of the discharge outlet 7 c. The length of thereaction chamber 7 a can also affect the characteristics of the output.

The configuration of a reaction chamber 7 a module can be tailored tocreate a desired reaction at a chosen location within the chamber 7 a inconjunction with adjustment of the temperature and pressure gradientsalong the length of the reaction chamber 7 a. Temperature is increasedprimarily by the transfer of heat into the reaction chamber 7 a and isdecreased by lessening the heat transfer. Pressure is increased in thereaction chamber 7 a primarily by (i) increasing the pumping force onthe feedstock 15 and (ii) increasing the heat in the reaction chamber 7a. Pressure is decreased in the opposite manner. The structure necessaryfor making these changes are sensors liberally placed on the reactor 7or in the reaction chamber 7 a. They sense internal conditions thatcorrelate to the state of the feedstock 15 at locations along the lengthof the reaction chamber 7 a. The sensed conditions are fed back to thePLC, which has the stored pre-set parameters. The PLC compares thesensed conditions in the reaction chamber 7 a to the pre-set parameters.Based upon the comparison, the PLC may (i) make no change, (ii) increaseor decrease a variable such as the cook time 16, acid injection, steaminjection, ram pressure, back pressure, temperature, or any combinationof the foregoing, (iv) shut the reactor 7 down, (v) increase or decreasethe speed of the ram, or (vi) increase or decrease the amount offeedstock fed into the reaction chamber 7. Many so-called passivesensors are interrogated continuously by the PLC. If the sensor is aso-called active device, the sensor on its own continuously reports thesensed condition to the PLC. Either sensor type can be used inconjunction with reactor pump 1.

FIG. 22 illustrates a reaction chamber 7 a having a straight segment 7 jconnected to an adjoining inwardly tapered segment 7 k. The reactionchamber 7 a of FIG. 1B does not have the straight segment 7 j, but hasan inwardly tapered segment 7 k—a cone shaped segment. The cone shapedsegment is sometimes referred to as a bell shaped segment. The pumpshown in FIG. 22 is similar to pump 5 shown in FIG. 1B. In both FIGS. 1Band 22, the pumping chamber 5 a extends from an upstream opening 5 c toa downstream opening 5 d. However, the location of the downstreamopening 5 d is dependent upon the configuration of the reactor pump 1.In FIG. 1B, for example, the downstream opening 5 d is coterminous withthe upstream face of the knife gate 6. But in FIG. 22, the downstreamopening 5 d is coterminous with the inlet 25 a of the transition segment25. In another embodiment of the reactor pump 1 shown in FIG. 1B, thedownstream opening 5 d is coterminous with the inlet 25 b of thetransition segment. In FIG. 1B, the distance between the location of theknife gate 6 in the pumping chamber 5 a and the downstream opening 5 dcan be short, long, or any length there between. Each of the foregoingconfigurations are separate embodiments of the reactor pump 1. And asshown in FIG. 22, a knife gate 6 is not present. The knife gate 6, amongother things, transitions the pumping chamber 5 a from the physicalconditions within the reactor, such as heat, acid, and hot water. Otherembodiments of the reactor pump are configured to perform their functionof converting feedstock 15 to a liquefied slurry of product (i) withouta knife gate 6 and/or (ii) without a transition segment 25.

FIG. 23A is a schematic of the cross-section of an embodiment of thereactor 7, which is comprised of the transition segment 25 and thereaction chamber 7 a. The formation of a single unitary feedstock plug27 in the tandem configuration of the transition segment 25 and thereaction chamber 7 a is integral to the conversion of feedstock 15 to aliquefied slurry. The feedstock plug 27 in the transition segment 25 andthe feedstock plug 27 in the reaction chamber 7 a are merely portions ofthe overall, single unitary feedstock plug 27.

The relatively small inlet 25 a of the transition segment 25, ascompared to the combination of the larger outlet 25 b of the transitionsegment 25 and the larger inlet 7 b of the reaction chamber 7 a, impedesupstream movement of the feedstock plug 27 out the small inlet 25 a ofthe transition segment 25. Upstream movement is impeded because thefeedstock plug 27 is essentially stuck in the small sized inlet 25 a.The inlet 25 a seals-off the backflow of pressure into the pump 5. Ifthe relative sizes of the inlet 25 a and the combination outlet 25 b andthe inlet 7 b were reversed, the feedstock plug 27 would move upstreamand allow high pressure to flow into pump 5.

The relatively small discharge outlet 7 c of the reaction chamber, ascompared to the combination of the larger inlet 7 b of the reactionchamber 7 a and the larger outlet 25 b of the transition segment 25,impedes downstream movement of the feedstock out the small dischargeoutlet 7 b of the reaction chamber 7 b. Impediment of the downstreammovement allows the feedstock time to cook in the reaction chamber. Thedownstream movement of the feedstock is impeded by the converging insidewalls 7 i of the reaction chamber 7 a, as well as by the small sizeddischarge outlet 7 c. If the relative sizes of the discharge outlet 7 cand the combination of the inlet 7 b and outlet 25 b were reversed, thefeedstock 15 would be easily ejected out the discharge outlet 7 c andthe feedstock would not get cooked.

FIG. 23B illustrates a high pressure, high temperature reaction chamber7 b. The embodiment has a configuration that varies along its length.The inlet 7 b has a relatively small diameter. The outwardly taperedsegment 7 o (a cone section 7 n) connects with an inwardly taperedsegment 7 k. The inwardly tapered segment 7 k tapers to meet a series ofalternating concave 7 q and convex 7 l segments. The segments 7 q and 7l connect to an exit plug segment 7 p. The alternating concave 7 q andconvex 7 l segments cause turbulence in the reaction chamber 7 a. Theturbulence creates beneficial mixing of the feedstock 15.

At various points along the length of the reaction chamber 7 b there are(i) liquid exits 8 a for draining liquid from the reaction chamber 7 band (ii) steam/acid inlets 7 f (not shown in FIG. 23B) for injectingsteam and/or acid into the reaction chamber 7 b. The liquid exits 8 aand the inlets 7 f are located at points best suited for assistingcooking of the biomass within the reaction chamber 7 b. There may be agreater number of liquid exits 8 a and inlets 7 f than are necessary forany particular process run, but the unused liquid exits 8 a and inlets 7f can be shut down.

The length, shape, taper, inlet, and outlet of each segment is chosen tofit the reaction conditions.

The amount of heat needed at any given point is adjustable dependingupon the sensed characteristics of the plug 27 within the reactionchamber 7 b. The reactor 7 is surrounded along its length by heat coils29, which heat the feedstock 15 within the reaction chamber 7 a.

In the reaction chamber 7 a of FIG. 23B, feedstock 15 is rammed into theinlet 7 b under high pressure. It is rammed against the already existingfeedstock 15 in the reaction chamber 7 a to create and maintain a densefeedstock plug 27 in the transition segment 25 and the reaction chamber7 a.

The outer portion of the feedstock plug 27 and the inner core of thefeedstock plug are subjected to different conditions. The inner core iscompressed by (i) pressure in the transition segment 25, (ii) pressurein the reaction chamber 7 a, (iii) pressure driving the feedstock 15into the transition segment 25 and into the reaction chamber 7 a, and(iv) pressure squeezing the feedstock 15 out a relatively smalldischarge outlet 7 c. The outer portion of the feedstock plug 27 is incontact with the converging inside walls 7 i of the reaction chamber 7a. The very outer portion of the plug 27 is subjected to high heat onand near the inside walls 7 i. The high heat and pressure in thereaction chamber 7 a liquefies the outer portion of the plug 27. Theliquefied feedstock creates a shear plane between the converging insidewalls 7 i and the feedstock plug 27 allowing the liquefied feedstock tomove along the converging inside walls 7 i and exit the discharge outlet7 c. The liquid—a slurry of converted feedstock—slips the feedstock plug27 downstream. The inner core moves downstream more slowly. But as theouter portion of the feedstock plug 27 is liquefied the shear planeallows the inner solid core to move towards the inside walls 7 i and inturn be liquefied.

Density of the feedstock plug 27 will vary along the length of thereaction chamber 7 a depending upon the characteristics of thecellulose, configuration of the reaction chamber 7 a, heat in thereaction chamber, pressure in the reaction chamber, and the storedprocess parameters. However, the density of the plug should not go belowa pre-set level. Otherwise, solid portions of the feedstock plug 27could exit through the discharge outlet 7 c, allow liquid or gas to beentrained within the plug 27, and cause a loss of the liquefiedconversion product. A loss of the conversion product could also occur ifthe density of the plug 27 were to fall to a level that allowed backflowof solids out the inlet 25 a of the transition segment 25.

FIG. 24 is an embodiment of reaction chamber 7 a having multipleplugs—an inlet 7 o, a straight segment 7 j, an inwardly tapered segment7 k, a second inlet 7 o, a straight segment 7 j, an inwardly taperedsegment 7 k, a convex segment 7 l, a concave segment 7 q, an exit plugsegment 7 p, and a discharge outlet 7 c. The second inlet 7 o may belocated at a point proximate the center of the reactor 7. The secondinlet 7 o allows liquid and gas to exit the reactor, reaction chamber 7a, while allowing the solids to continue through the reaction chamber 7a.

FIG. 25A illustrates an embodiment of reaction chamber 7 a that beginswith a transition segment 25, connects to a straight segment 7 j, aninwardly tapered segment 7 k, and a straight segment 7 j. The taperedand straight segments are separate modules all connected together. Thetapered 7 k and straight 7 j segments are connected together byconnector segment 7 r. The segments can be used as stand-alone segmentsor other segments not shown in FIG. 25A. The use of modules allows formixing and matching reactor segments to meet the needs of changingconditions, not the least of which is the wildly varying compositions ofthe feedstock 15 available for conversion. This embodiment shows heatcoil zones 29. FIG. 25A is a cross-section of FIG. 25B. FIG. 25C is adetail of the connector segment 7 r.

This specification has primarily disclosed heating the biomass byinjection of steam into the biomass in the reaction chamber 7 a.However, other methods of heating are also viable, such as heat transferby flowing oil through a jacket 29 d, induction heating, or combinationsof steam, oil jacket heating, or induction heating. The inductionheating method heats the outside surface of the reactor 7 and allows theheat to transfer through the reactor 7 and into the biomass. Inductionheating can most efficiently be accomplished by wrapping induction coils29 around all or part of the exterior of the reactor 7, covering thecoils 29 with insulation to avoid heat loss, and feeding the coils withthe requisite electric current. The combination of induction heating ofthe feedstock 15, formation of a feedstock plug 27 at the inlet 7 b, andpreservation of the plug 27 throughout the length of the reactionchamber 7 a, is an efficient and efficacious method of hydrolization ofthe biomass feedstock.

FIG. 26 illustrates a reactor pump 1, wherein the reaction chamber 7 ahas multiple segments. The first segment is straight 7 j, the second iscone shaped. The cone shaped segment 7 n is connected to a secondstraight segment 7 j. The second straight segment 7 j is connected to afirst U-shaped elbow 7 m. The first U-shaped elbow 7 m is connected to athird straight segment 7 j that runs parallel to a second straightsegment 7 j. The third straight segment 7 j is connected to a secondU-shaped elbow 7 m. The second U-shaped elbow 7 m is connected to afourth straight segment 7 j that runs parallel to the third straightsegment 7 j. The reactor of FIG. 26 is wrapped with electric heatingcoils for heating the contents of the reaction chamber 7 a by inductionheating. The reactor 7 can also be used without a heater. The segmentsof the reaction chamber 7 a are doubled backed upon one another inparallel to reduce the footprint of the reactor 7. The reactor segmentscan made in lengths commensurate with the feedstock 15 characteristicsand the desired final product characteristics.

FIG. 27 illustrates a reactor pump 1, wherein the reaction chamber 7 ahas multiple segments. The cone shaped/tapered segment of FIG. 26 is notpresent in the reactor of FIG. 27. FIG. 27 has multiple straightsegments 7 j with elbows 7 m between the segments. The reactor 7terminates in a segment having a smaller diameter than that of some ofthe preceding segments.

FIG. 28 also illustrates a reactor pump 1 with multiple segments. Inthis embodiment there is a relatively long reaction chamber 7 b,comprised of a short straight segment 7 j; a long inwardly taperedsegment 7 k, three relatively small diameter straight segments 7 j, twou-elbow segments 7 m connecting the three relatively small diameterstraight segments 7 j, and an exit plug segment 7 p.

FIG. 29 shows a reactor pump 1 with multiple segments of a variety ofconfigurations, lengths, and diameters. In this embodiment the output ofthe reaction chamber 7 a is the input into another reactor pump 1.

FIG. 30 illustrates a reaction chamber 7 a attached to the transitionsegment 25. The reaction chamber 7 a is comprised of a relatively largediameter straight segment 7 j, an inwardly tapered segment 7 k, adischarge outlet 7 c, a discharge valve 10, and a discharge pipe 12.This discharge outlet 7 c of this embodiment provides a low dischargevolume. In other words the discharge outlet 7 c has a relatively smalldiameter as compared to a high volume discharge outlet 7 c.

FIG. 31 illustrates a reactor 7 having a high volume discharge outlet 7c in that the discharge outlet 7 c is large compared to a reactor 7 witha low volume discharge outlet 7 c.

FIG. 32 shows a reaction chamber 7 a having a transition segment 25, astraight segment 7 j, a discharge outlet 7 c, a heat exchanger 29 a toheat feedstock 15 in the reaction chamber 7 a, a discharge pipe 12, anda discharge valve 10. The reaction chamber 7 a is lined with zirconium 7h. The heat exchanger 29 a may use, for example, oil or steam as theheat transfer medium. The inlets and outlets for the heat transfermedium are respectively at 29 b and 29 c. If oil is used as the heattransfer medium, it flows through the heat exchanger jacket 29 d anddoes not enter the reaction chamber 7 a. If steam is used it is injectedinto the reaction chamber 7 a through steam ports 7 f.

Valving

The discharge valve 10 is an adjustable, positive control pressurerelief valve that can be set to specific pressure levels over a range ofpressure levels. A set pressure level corresponds to a specific pressureat which the reaction chamber 7 a will discharge the cooked feedstock.The specific pressure may be changed from time to time depending, forexample, upon (i) the reaction parameters for a specific type offeedstock 15 in reaction chamber 7 a, (ii) changes in the downstreamstages of the conversion process, and (iii) aging of the reactor pump 7.

The check valve 11 is a one way valve that allows feedstock 15 to leavethe reaction chamber 7 a through discharge pipe 12, but does not allowthe feedstock to backflow into the reaction chamber 7 a.

The throttle valve 9 provides the ability to change the cook time 16 offeedstock 15 in reaction chamber 7 a. An internal piston 9 a can bemoved within the throttle valve 9 to increase or decrease the cook time16 of the feedstock 15 by moving the end of the piston 9 a within thedischarge outlet 7 c of the reactor 7.

Reactor Pump Control

A general purpose computer or a PLC may be used for monitoring sensorslocated at various places on the reaction pump 1, such as sensors forsensing the (i) positions of the knife gate 6 and the ram 4, (ii)hydraulic pressure on the feedstock, (iii) steam temperature in thereaction chamber 7 a, (iv) open or closed position of the check valve11, and (v) temperature in the heat jacket 24.

The computing device also (i) controls movement of the hydrauliccylinders, (ii) opens and closes the knife gate 6, (iii) sets thepressure of discharge valve 10, (iv) sets the throttle valve 9, (v)regulates the steam input, (vi) regulates the acid input, (vii)regulates the temperature of the substrate in heat jacket 24, (viii)synchronizes all moving parts and inputs according to a pre-set timingchart, (ix) sets electro-hydraulic proportional valves, and (x) controlsmovement of linear transducers.

All of the components of reactor pump 1 are manufactured by OlsonManufacturing Company of Albert Lea, Minn., with the exception of someof the off-the-shelf valves, sensors, computing devices, and thelike—all of which are readily available from many sources.

CONCLUSION

The embodiments of the reactor pump described in this specification,including the drawings, are intended to be exemplary of the principlesof the reactor pump. They are not intended to limit the reactor pump tothe particular embodiments described. Moreover, any equivalents of theembodiments described herein, whether or not the equivalents berecognized by those skilled in the art, are intended to be encompassedby the claims set forth below.

1. A reactor pump for catalyzed hydrolytic splitting of cellulose,comprising: (a) a pump comprised of (i) a pumping chamber having afeedstock opening for receiving feedstock; (ii) a cylinder configured toextend from an upstream opening to a downstream end of the pumpingchamber; (iii) the extending cylinder configured to compress thefeedstock in the pumping chamber against compressed feedstock in areactor; (iv) the cylinder, upon reaching the downstream end, configuredto retract from the downstream end to the upstream opening; and (v) thecylinder configured to cyclically continue its extension and retraction;(b) a reactor comprised of a transition segment and a reaction chamber,(i) the transition segment located between the downstream end of thepumping chamber and the inlet of a reaction chamber; (ii) the transitionsegment having an inlet smaller than the outlet; (iii) the reactionchamber having an inlet substantially the same size as the outlet of thetransition segment and a discharge outlet smaller than the inlet of thereaction chamber; (iv) the reactor having a means for heating thecompressed feedstock in the reaction chamber; and (c) whereby thecompressed feedstock in the transition segment and the reaction chamberforms a feedstock plug, the feedstock plug cooks as the plug movesdownstream under pumping pressure of the pump, and the cooked portion ofthe plug exits the discharge outlet as a liquefied slurry.
 2. Thereactor pump of claim 1, also comprising a means for injecting a reagentinto the feedstock 15 and/or into the feedstock plug 27 in the reactionchamber 7 a, the reagent selected from the group consisting of acid,steam, or a combination thereof.
 3. A reactor pump for catalyzedhydrolytic splitting of cellulose, comprising: (a) a pump comprised of(i) a pumping chamber having a feedstock opening for receivingfeedstock; (ii) a gate upstream from the downstream end of the pumpingchamber, the gate configured to cyclically open and close; (iii) acylinder configured to cyclically extend and retract from an upstreamopening of the pumping chamber to the downstream end of the pumpingchamber; (iv) the cylinder configured to compress feedstock in thepumping chamber against the closed gate; (v) the gate configured to openupon the occurrence of an event, the event selected from the groupconsisting of a pre-set level of pressure on the closed gate, a pre-setposition of the extending cylinder within the pumping chamber,expiration of a pre-set period of time, or any combination of theforegoing; (vi) the cylinder configured to compress the feedstockagainst compressed feedstock in a transition segment and the reactionchamber; (vii) the cylinder configured to retract when the gate closes;(b) a reactor comprised of a transition segment and a reaction chamber,(i) the transition segment, located between the downstream end of thepumping chamber and the inlet of a reaction chamber; (ii) the transitionsegment having an inlet smaller than the outlet; (iii) the reactionchamber having an inlet substantially the same size as the outlet of thetransition segment and a discharge outlet smaller than the inlet of thereaction chamber; (iv) the reactor having a means for heating thecompressed feedstock in the reaction chamber; (c) whereby the compressedfeedstock in the transition segment and the reaction chamber forms afeedstock plug, the feedstock plug cooks as the plug moves downstreamunder pumping pressure of the pump, and the cooked portion of the plugexits the discharge outlet as a liquefied slurry.
 4. The reactor ofclaim 3, wherein the interior of the reactor is comprised of one or moresegments selected from the group consisting of a straight segment,inwardly tapered segment, outwardly tapered segment, convex segment,U-elbow segment, concave segment, exit plug segment, or any combinationof the foregoing segments.
 5. The reactor pump of claim 3, comprising acharging chamber opening into the feedstock opening.
 6. The reactor pumpof claim 3, wherein the feedstock is comprised of (a) cellulose materialselected from the group consisting of wood, logs, wood chips, lumber,newspaper, cardboard, corn fiber, corn cob, sugar cane, straw, switchgrass, or any combination thereof, (b) water; and (c) acid.
 7. Thereactor pump of claim 3, comprising an adjustable pressure relief valveon the reaction chamber discharge outlet for automatic discharge ofcooked feedstock when a pre-set pressure level within the reactionchamber is reached.
 8. The reactor pump of claim 3, comprising athrottle valve for changing the cook time 16 of the feedstock.
 9. Thereactor pump of claim 3, also comprising a means for injecting a reagentinto the feedstock plug in the reaction chamber, the reagent selectedfrom the group consisting of acid, steam, water, or a combinationthereof.
 10. The reactor pump of claim 3, configured for continuousdischarge of a liquefied slurry of conversion product.
 11. A reactor forcatalyzed hydrolytic splitting of cellulose, comprising: (a) a means forhigh pressure pumping of feedstock into a reactor; (b) a reactorcomprised of a transition segment and a reaction chamber, (i) thetransition segment, located between the downstream end of the pumpingchamber and the inlet of a reaction chamber; (ii) the transition segmenthaving an inlet smaller than the outlet; (iii) the reaction chamberhaving an inlet substantially the same size as the outlet of thetransition segment and a discharge outlet smaller than the inlet of thereaction chamber; (iv) the reactor having a means for heating thecompressed feedstock in the reaction chamber; (c) whereby the compressedfeedstock in the transition segment and the reaction chamber forms afeedstock plug, the feedstock plug cooks as the plug moves downstreamunder pumping pressure of the pump, and the cooked portion of the plugexits the discharge outlet as a liquefied slurry.
 12. A catalyzedhydrolytic process for splitting cellulose, comprising the steps of: (a)pumping feedstock against compressed feedstock in a reactor to form afeedstock plug moving downstream from an inlet to a discharge outlet ofthe reactor; (c) subjecting the feedstock plug to a constellation ofphysical things selected from the group consisting of pressure, heat,steam, water, acid, or any combination thereof; (d) cooking the plugwithin the reactor; (e) opening the discharge outlet to rapidly reducethe pressure in the reaction chamber upon the occurrence of an event,the event selected from the group consisting of reaching a pre-setpressure level in the reaction chamber, expiration of a pre-set periodof time, or any combination of the foregoing; and (f) whereby the outersurface of the cellulose is broken down to a liquefied slurry of cookedfeedstock.
 13. The process of claim 12, comprising the steps of (i)comparing the downstream pressure on the upstream end of the feedstockplug and the back pressure in the reaction chamber and (ii) equalizingthem if they are not equal.
 14. The process of claim 12, comprising thesteps of subjecting (i) the feedstock to a pressure of up to about 2000psi and (ii) the reaction chamber to a temperature of up to about 1000°Fahrenheit.
 15. The process of claim 12, comprising the step ofpreparing the feedstock, the preparation comprised of the steps of: (i)grinding the cellulose; (ii) the cellulose selected from the groupconsisting of wood, logs, wood chips, lumber, newspaper, cardboard, cornfiber, corn cob, sugar cane, straw, switch grass, or any combinationthereof; (iii) mixing acid with water to form an aqueous solution ofacid; (iv) the acid selected from the group consisting of sulfuric,hydrochloric, ammonium, or any combination thereof; (v) mixing thecellulose and the aqueous solution of acid to form the feedstock; and(vi) granulating the formed feedstock.
 16. The process of claim 12,comprising the step of preparing feedstock by mixing about 20% to about50% by weight of granular cellulose with about 78% to about 48% byweight of water, and about 2% by weight of acid.
 17. The process ofclaim 12, wherein forming a plug of compressed feedstock, comprises thesteps of: (i) using high pressure to ram the feedstock into a reactor,the reactor having an inlet and a discharge outlet that are smallrelative to the interior of the reactor and (ii) holding the compressedfeedstock in the reactor for a pre-set period of cook time to allowconversion of the feedstock to a liquefied slurry.
 18. The process ofclaim 12, wherein cooking the feedstock plug comprises the steps ofheating the cooking feedstock plug by the means selected from the groupconsisting of injecting steam directly into the reactor, heating theouter surface of the reactor to indirectly heat the cooking feedstockplug, flowing a heated substrate through a jacket surrounding the outersurface of the reactor, or any combination of the foregoing.
 19. Theprocess of claim 12, comprising the steps of (i) extending a cylinderagainst feedstock in a pumping chamber to compress the feedstock againsta closed gate; (ii) opening the gate upon the occurrence of an eventselected from the group consisting of expiration of a pre-set timeperiod, reaching a pre-set level of pressure on the upstream face of thegate, and extension of the cylinder to a pre-set position; (iii)retracting the cylinder after the occurrence of a selected event; and(iv) continuing the cycle of extension and retraction of the cylinder.20. A reactor pump, comprising a means for compressing cellulose into areactor and a means for catalyzed hydrolytic splitting of the compressedcellulose in the reactor.
 21. The reactor pump of claim 20, wherein themeans for compressing cellulose material is a pump comprising (i) apumping chamber having an opening for receiving the cellulose; (ii) aram configured to compress the cellulose within the pumping chamber andthe reactor during an extension stroke; (iii) the ram configured toretract to allow cellulose to fill the pumping chamber; and (iv)continuation of the extension and retraction of the ram.
 22. The reactorpump of claim 20, wherein the reactor comprises (i) an inlet and adischarge outlet each of which has a smaller cross-sectional area thanthe cross-sectional area of the interior of the reactor; (ii) thecellulose formed into a plug by compression of the cellulose in thereactor; (iii) the cellulose plug forced downstream within the reactorby compression on the cellulose in the reactor; (iv) the pressure andheat within the reactor progressively cooking the cellulose plug to aliquid slurry during its downstream movement towards the dischargeoutlet; (v) the liquid slurry discharged out the discharge outlet. 23.The reactor pump of claim 22, comprising inputs selected from the groupconsisting of (i) pressure for maintaining plug density, moving the plugdownstream, and breaking the plug down to a liquid slurry, (ii) acidand/or steam for breaking the plug down to a liquid slurry, (iii) waterfor reducing friction between the interior walls of the reactor and theplug, or (iv) any combination of the foregoing.
 24. The reactor pump ofclaim 22, wherein the liquefied slurry is discharged when pressure inthe reactor reaches a pre-set level.
 25. The reactor pump of claim 22,comprising a means for changing the time that the cellulose plug cooks.